UCLA Hits Four Homers in 9-7 Midweek Loss to UC Irvine

LOS ANGELES – The UCLA baseball team hit a season-high four home runs, but that turned out to be not enough in a 9-7 midweek loss to No. 12 UC Irvine on Tuesday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

The Bruins' four dingers – two by freshman third baseman Roch Cholowsky and one apiece from junior DH Jack Holman and junior second baseman Duce Gourson – were their most in a single game since the opening weekend of the 2023 campaign against Omaha.

Tuesday's affair was back-and-forth throughout, but the Bruins (13-25) looked to be in the driver's seat after hitting two homers as part of a go-ahead two spot in the bottom of the eighth.

Trailing 5-4 at the beginning of the frame, Gourson tied it with a solo shot towards the scoreboard in right-center, and Cholowsky put the Bruins ahead three batters later after pouncing on a first-pitch breaking ball from UCI's Max Martin and sending it off the netting in left field for a two-run shot that temporarily made it 7-5 in UCLA's favor.

Though UCLA ultimately left the yard on four occasions, it was UCI's first home run of the day that proved decisive, as Chase Call hit a three-run roundtripper to dead center with one out in the ninth, capping off a go-ahead four spot for the visiting Anteaters (29-8).

Cholowsky (2-3, three RBIs) finished as the lone Bruin with multiple hits in the contest. Tuesday marked the first multi-home run game of his rookie campaign, and he became just the third UCLA freshman since 2019 to pop multiple homers in one contest, joining Matt McLain (2019) and Mulivai Levu (2024).

UC Irvine totaled 15 hits as a team, with each starter recording at least one knock. Left fielder Myles Smith led the way, going 4-5 with three runs scored and three doubles. David Utagawa recorded the save for UCI with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth.

UCLA used four pitchers in the contest. Starter Luke Rodriguez was solid over three-plus innings, allowing two earned on three hits while striking out a pair. He retired the side in order in the second.

Senior righty JonJon Vaughns was the highlight out of the bullpen, going two innings without a run against.

The Bruins now start a stretch that sees them play 10 of their next 11 games away from home, starting with a three-game series at league rival Utah starting this Friday at 5 p.m. PT.